New Car Systems Enable Surveillance
New automotive technology is making it possible to track where you go in your car. The most prominent example of this is the OnStar personal security system, which features a communications and tracking component that is facilitated by a built in cell-phone and a global positioning system, or GPS that can locate exactly where a car is. OnStar is one of a growing number of automated eyes and ears that enhance driving safety and convenience but that also increase the potential for surveillance. Privacy advocates say that the rise of the automotive technologies, including electronic toll areas, location-tracking devices, "black box" data recorders like those found on airplanes and even tiny radio ID tags in tires, are changing the nature of Americans' relationship with their cars.
This Car Can Talk. What It Says May Cause Concern
New York Times, December 29, 2003
